In season 4, episode 8 of The Handmaids TaleCommander Lawrence gives Janine to Aunt Lydia; here's why he does so and what it means. The episode is titled "Testimony" as it follows June as she prepares for and gives her witness statement against Fred and Serena Waterford in court. Though there's certainly a focus on the legal side of trauma aftermath, its lingering ripple effects within characters' personal lives are still very present. No one who has been held captive within Gilead is ever truly free of it, and this is literally the case for Janine (Madeline Brewer).

It's revealed that Janine survived the bombings in Chicago and was re-captured by Gilead's soldiers. Interestingly, Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) gives her to Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). When he informs her of Janine's currently imprisoned whereabouts and assigns the escaped Handmaid back into her care, Lydia is already in hot water. The brutal mother figure physically assaulted a Handmaid she didn't have a "proper" reason to punish, and another Aunt in anger, which got her sent to Lawrence to decide her fate. Instead of punishment or termination, which she expected, she's simply told to take out her aggression on Janine, who's broken Gilead law, instead of obedient underlings and associates.

Related: The Handmaid's Tale Season 4's Aunt Irene Fixes Its Emily Failure

It's an interesting move on Lawrence's part, especially since, historically, he's been sympathetic to the Handmaids' plight. But the choice is also a highly strategic one. It's certainly not done as a sort of gift to Aunt Lydia or out of allegiance to Gilead. Since he began collaborating with June in earlier seasons of The Handmaid's Tale, Lawrence has been in a precarious position. He's one of the higher-ups in the nation; he even helped design it. But he also seems to have more humanity and compassion than other Commanders. After Aunt Lydia starts blackmailing him earlier in season 4, leading to treasonous collusion between the two characters, he's stuck maintaining a balancing act where he keeps Aunt Lydia happy, making her think they're on the same side working toward the betterment of Gilead.

But that necessity for appeasement is all the gesture truly is. Lydia has information regarding Lawrence working with June and being involved in Commander Winslow's past disappearance; she's dangerous and can't just be tossed aside. She's also proven that she'll do whatever it takes to keep her position as an influential, Handmaid-overseeing Aunt, even if that means betraying some of her loyalty to Gilead. It would make Lawrence's job itself much easier if he were to give Lydia the boot. Keeping her on staff and giving her beloved Janine back to her, however, is the best way to keep her from acting against him while also using it as a guise of acting in the best interests of Gilead.

Of course, none of this makes the future look any brighter for Janine or Aunt Lydia's characters on The Handmaid's Tale. Janine didn't make it out of Chicago, and although she begs not to be sent back to her life as a Handmaid, Lydia seems to dismiss what she's saying. Most likely, poor Janine will once again be thrown into a life of sexual slavery; either way, she's stuck in Gilead, without June. For Aunt Lydia, her days serving the nation are numbered; once there isn't a reason to keep her around anymore, it's clear that her bosses will no longer do so. She's already losing her grip, and more of an unraveling on Lydia's part will, in turn, only cause more issues for Janine.

Next: The Handmaid's Tale: Why June Finally Tells Luke The Truth About Hannah